Media statement
by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew, DAP National Publicity Secretary and DAP Selangor Secretary
on Tuesday, 01 October 2002
in Petaling Jaya.

Replace the proposed RM1.4 billion Gasification incinerator in Kg Bohol, Puchong with MRF (Materials Recovery Facilities)


In answering a question from Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP MP of Kepong) on 25 September 2002, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar confirmed that the tender for the RM1.4 billion incinerator project in Kg. Bohol, Puchong would be finalised soon. He also said that the fluidised bed incinerator will be constructed on a design and build basis, and the cost of operation would be as high as RM50 million a year.

He said that the contract for the project would be given out soon as the three Japanese contractors, namely Ebara Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd, have been shortlisted for
the tender.

The deputy minister has not been honest to the people because he has failed to inform the Parliament that the lifespan of such gasification incinerator is only about 21 years, and no one in this world has ever constructed an incinerator of this size before, not even Ebara, Hitachi  Zosen or Kawasaki Heavy Industries. And those constructed in Japan were actually pilot projects, which started operation only in year 2000.

And more importantly, the deputy minister has not referred to the EIA report done by the Government-appointed companies, which mentioned that the Kinrara Army Camp and its hospital should be relocated as the air quality of the vicinity will be very much affected.

Apart from the dioxin and other toxic gases that could cause cancer to the 1,000,000 residents living within a radius of 7.5 km (Puchong Jaya, Kinrara, Old Klang Road, Bukit Gasing, Sunway, Lembah Pantai, Subang Jaya, Bukit Jalil etc), there is also a big issue on cost efficiency in waste management. I was given to understand that the proposed incinerator could only process up to 1,500 tonnes of municipal waste per day.

I have worked out the cost of processing rubbish at about RM270 per tonne (capital expenditure of RM1.4 billion + operating expenditure of RM1.05 billion over a period of 21 years, divided by 1,500 tonnes X 300 days X 21 years). To expect taxpayers to pay a hefty RM270 to burn every tonne of  rubbish is simply ridiculous, illogical, unreasonable and unacceptable. The current landfill method only costs the taxpayers RM25 to RM35 per tonne according to waste management experts. It would cost the Subang Jaya Municipal Council, which has 11,800 tonnes of rubbish to clear everyday to pay a hefty sum of RM3, 186,00 per day!

It is not true that the government could not find other alternatives. We  can safely replace the proposed "Puchong Cancer Factory" with Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF), which will much safer and more cost effective that the gigantic incinerator. Many advanced countries have been replacing their incinerators with MRF and other alternatives due to the fatal consequences of these incinerators.

In short, the MRF sorts and recovers different types of rubbish, such as plastics, aluminium cans, bottles and metals for resale, PVC and other non-recyclable materials will be made into solid "pellets" which could be
used as building materials.

In this way, we can recover a lot of useful materials from the municipal rubbish instead of burning them in incinerators and eventually cost the taxpayers money and health. You can bet our assessment and "cukai pintu" will go up in no time!

The Government should take cognisance of the strong protests of 130,000 local residents who have signed a petition opposing the construction of the incinerator and not arbitrarily dismiss their concerns by going ahead
with the project.

The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project itself revealed many glaring and disturbing flaws and weaknesses, which if not addressed, will have grave repercussions on the health of a staggering one
million residents living within a 5-7.5 km radius from the earmarked site.

The data in the report are based on similar treatment plants in Japan which are capable of treating only 100-240 tonnes of waste per day, whereas the proposed incinerator (one of the biggest in the region) has a maximum capacity of treating 1,500 tonnes of waste per day. In fact, the report admitted that there are no existing data for a plant of this size in the world. The fluidised bed technology that will be used for the gasification and ash melting system of the plant is also an unproven one.

The report also admitted that from official records obtained, there are serious respiratory-related problems amongst adults and children in the area. The incinerator would only worsen an already unhealthy area!

In view of this, the Housing and Local Government Ministry, which is overseeing the project, should not proceed with the construction until and unless it addresses the many questionable aspects of the project.

The authorities must realise that we cannot afford such a costly experiment like the Kg. Bohol incinerator project, as the long-term health and well being of 1,000,000 people are at stake.

The DAP urges the authorities concerned to shelf the project and replace it with MRF or other proven waste management alternatives.